(Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Dec 15, 2022
A Washington, D.C. Bar committee said Thursday that disgraced attorney Rudy Giuliani violated at least one professional rule when he tried to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss--a preliminary finding that could result in the suspension or revocation of his license to practice law.
Following a week of testimony from Giuliani and some of his allies, the three-member disciplinary panel agreed that "Giuliani's rushed effort to file lawsuits to throw out hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania votes without any direct evidence of election fraud... crossed ethical lines," Politico reported.
D.C. Bar counsel Phil Fox, who investigated and made the case for punishing the former New York City mayor, called Giuliani "the head of" Trump's anti-democratic effort to cast doubt on and negate President Joe Biden's victory.
Fox urged the panel to disbar Giuliani for trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters.
"I think the harm that was done is unprecedented," said Fox. "The only sanction that's appropriate for this kind of misconduct is disbarment."
\u201cI was the first member of Congress to call for Rudy Giuliani to be disbarred for trying to help trump overturn the election. This is deserved and a long time coming.\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1671122896
Fox and Giuliani will now submit written documents for the committee to consider before it issues a final ruling.
According to Politico:
Giuliani contended that his efforts were extraordinarily rushed because of the narrow time frames required in litigating election challenges. He described efforts to obtain affidavits and evidence of election fraud.
After the presentations concluded, Giuliani launched into an extended and furious defense of his conduct, even as his lawyer tried to stop him from speaking.
"It is a typical, unethical, cheap attack," Giuliani said of Fox's presentation, reiterating his contention that there's a legitimate case that the 2020 election was stolen. "I'll put my work on democracy... up against Mr. Fox and anyone else. For that man to engage in that kind of a personal attack when there was no record of that, and for you to allow him to do that, I consider an outrage."
Fox, for his part, said that Giuliani's attempt "to undermine the legitimacy of the election" violates "the basic oath we all take to support the Constitution."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
A Washington, D.C. Bar committee said Thursday that disgraced attorney Rudy Giuliani violated at least one professional rule when he tried to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss--a preliminary finding that could result in the suspension or revocation of his license to practice law.
Following a week of testimony from Giuliani and some of his allies, the three-member disciplinary panel agreed that "Giuliani's rushed effort to file lawsuits to throw out hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania votes without any direct evidence of election fraud... crossed ethical lines," Politico reported.
D.C. Bar counsel Phil Fox, who investigated and made the case for punishing the former New York City mayor, called Giuliani "the head of" Trump's anti-democratic effort to cast doubt on and negate President Joe Biden's victory.
Fox urged the panel to disbar Giuliani for trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters.
"I think the harm that was done is unprecedented," said Fox. "The only sanction that's appropriate for this kind of misconduct is disbarment."
\u201cI was the first member of Congress to call for Rudy Giuliani to be disbarred for trying to help trump overturn the election. This is deserved and a long time coming.\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1671122896
Fox and Giuliani will now submit written documents for the committee to consider before it issues a final ruling.
According to Politico:
Giuliani contended that his efforts were extraordinarily rushed because of the narrow time frames required in litigating election challenges. He described efforts to obtain affidavits and evidence of election fraud.
After the presentations concluded, Giuliani launched into an extended and furious defense of his conduct, even as his lawyer tried to stop him from speaking.
"It is a typical, unethical, cheap attack," Giuliani said of Fox's presentation, reiterating his contention that there's a legitimate case that the 2020 election was stolen. "I'll put my work on democracy... up against Mr. Fox and anyone else. For that man to engage in that kind of a personal attack when there was no record of that, and for you to allow him to do that, I consider an outrage."
Fox, for his part, said that Giuliani's attempt "to undermine the legitimacy of the election" violates "the basic oath we all take to support the Constitution."
From Your Site Articles
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
A Washington, D.C. Bar committee said Thursday that disgraced attorney Rudy Giuliani violated at least one professional rule when he tried to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss--a preliminary finding that could result in the suspension or revocation of his license to practice law.
Following a week of testimony from Giuliani and some of his allies, the three-member disciplinary panel agreed that "Giuliani's rushed effort to file lawsuits to throw out hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania votes without any direct evidence of election fraud... crossed ethical lines," Politico reported.
D.C. Bar counsel Phil Fox, who investigated and made the case for punishing the former New York City mayor, called Giuliani "the head of" Trump's anti-democratic effort to cast doubt on and negate President Joe Biden's victory.
Fox urged the panel to disbar Giuliani for trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters.
"I think the harm that was done is unprecedented," said Fox. "The only sanction that's appropriate for this kind of misconduct is disbarment."
\u201cI was the first member of Congress to call for Rudy Giuliani to be disbarred for trying to help trump overturn the election. This is deserved and a long time coming.\u201d— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1671122896
Fox and Giuliani will now submit written documents for the committee to consider before it issues a final ruling.
According to Politico:
Giuliani contended that his efforts were extraordinarily rushed because of the narrow time frames required in litigating election challenges. He described efforts to obtain affidavits and evidence of election fraud.
After the presentations concluded, Giuliani launched into an extended and furious defense of his conduct, even as his lawyer tried to stop him from speaking.
"It is a typical, unethical, cheap attack," Giuliani said of Fox's presentation, reiterating his contention that there's a legitimate case that the 2020 election was stolen. "I'll put my work on democracy... up against Mr. Fox and anyone else. For that man to engage in that kind of a personal attack when there was no record of that, and for you to allow him to do that, I consider an outrage."
Fox, for his part, said that Giuliani's attempt "to undermine the legitimacy of the election" violates "the basic oath we all take to support the Constitution."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.